SINGAPORE: The Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group will suspend its budget arm Scoot’s services to Australia’s Gold Coast region from July 2023, as it “adjusts its capacity in response to demand”.
In its third-quarter earnings report released Tuesday (Feb 21), the national carrier said its net profit improved 12.7 per cent from the previous quarter, coming in at S$628 million – a surge that came on the back of continued strong recovery in air travel demand.
SIA’s services to Vancouver will also be suspended from October this year, the airline said.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Scoot resumed services to Gold Coast in February 2022. It is currently the only airline in Singapore that flies directly to the Gold Coast.
Former Scoot CEO Campbell Wilson said in January 2022 that the airline served almost 130,000 travellers between Singapore and Gold Coast in 2019.
According to Gold Coast news outlet myGC, the route currently runs four times a week, serving thousands of customers.
myGC also reported city mayor Tom Tate’s surprise at Scoot’s decision.
“I am surprised because I was a party to putting that deal together … If there was something I could’ve done I would’ve done it,” he said.